A Breach in Fate
by ftim
Summary: After discovering Merlin's magic, Arthur banishes Merlin from Camelot, resulting in a series of turmoil. Merlin joins Morgana in the war against Camelot as Arthur struggles to protect his kingdom. Can Merlin come to his senses, or is he lost forever?
1. The Start of a Friend,The Start of a Foe

**Sequel to Battle for the List from the Great Purge. Slight recap shown in dialogue. Enjoy**

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><p>A shadow casted ahead of a figure that crept into the cave, enthusiastic to show his leader something truly special. He approached the quiet dialogue that took place in the dim murky cave gifted by King Cenred.<p>

The small figure advanced, breathing shortly as he strode up to an oblivious Morgana, and squeaked out a trembling call.

"Mo-Morgana...?"

*Sigh...* Morgana sighed on her stone throne placed in the center of her cave. Mordred, sitting on the stony ground near the fireside, turned around to watch the young man with auburn hair and freckles approach timidly. "What is it Menw?"

Menw was a young teenage wizard, scrawny and eager for appreciation, and with an uncanny ability to pick up the toughest of spells.

"I have learned a special power. A few of us visited the druids and asked them to show us something. Would you like to see?" He asked in slight excitement, staring at Morgana with his green eyes in anticipation.

Morgana snapped her eyes to the left, revealing her scar in the light cast from the warm fireside crackling below. "I see..." She said narrowing her eyes with intrigue, her eyes reflecting the flames. "Of course I'd like to see, Menw. Show me."

"See here…." Menw said raising his right palm high. Instantly, a speck of gold and light blue emerged and spiraled into a gaseous ball of fire, blazing against his palm. He flung his the fire ball to the fireside, causing Mordred to jump from his sitting and turn to the boy with a scowl.

"Oh very good…." Smiled Morgana straightening up on her seat. "Very impressive indeed. You've done well Menw, and for someone of your age! You truly are special…"

Breathing rapidly, a rosy glow and smile grew on the young man's face in giddiness.

"Thank you Morgana!" The young man said becoming flushed in embarrassment. He instantly bowed and ran out the cave into the daylight.

Morgana chuckled to herself as she shook her head and stared at a few torches bolted against the cave walls. With a single meaningful look, she caused the flames to rise in an instant.

"I guess that makes two of us that are special. " Morgana chuckled in a self satisfied smug and returned back to her thoughts.

"It wasn't _that _special.." Mordred grumbled to himself.

"Oh, Mordred, don't you see. A leader must encourage others! That is how you get them to do what you want!" Morgana said with twinkle in her eyes. "See what I have told you Mordred…we are undoubtedly stronger than ever before. Now we have King Cenred on our side after Prince Arthur's little attack on magical people residing in Cenreds land. Look at the number of people who remained loyal to us, even after our first defeat against Uther! And look at how we are growing! So many wizards sympathize with our cause! Arthur thought he won, but he in fact lost! He's only made us stronger!"

Mordred smiled with uncertainty and turned to the fire and stared intensely.

*prrrub adab dabbbdbb*

A rumbling sound sourced from outside as a growing sound of dragging feet pronounced in the cave.

"Morgana! Morgana! See here!" a few men plead from the mouth of the cave, rushing over while dragging a slim figure.

Perplexed, Morgana turned in her chair and rose to her feet with a stunned look on her face as she witnessed the person brought to her. She quickly composed herself and stood taller than before.

"Well, well, well, I cannot believe what I am seeing." She breathed in awe at the familiar face standing before her, seemingly at her mercy."Could it really be?"

Merlin raised his head boldly and stared at Morgana with a shady smirk.

"It is." Merlin replied quietly yet confidently as the men jerked his arms behind tighter.

"Happy to see me Merlin? " Morgana mocked after noticing Merlins smirk. She walked ahead and lowered herself to Merlin's face, making Merlin shiver at the sight of Morgana's grotesque scar on the right of her face. "This is indeed a surprise! Were you fetching a _few_ berries for your _little_ prince and got lost?" Morgana sulked.

"I've come to find you."

"Oh did you!" scoffed Morgana in amusement as she turned to a curious Mordred. She turned back to Merlin in wonder. "Well, looks like you found me! Too bad it's the _last_ thing you will do."

"Wait!" Merlin called out to Morgana's attention. "You don't want to hurt me. I don't want to hurt you! See this."

At that moment, a plank of wood on the ground rose slowly and steadily to the air over to Morgana, amidst astonished gazes of the others.

"Now you know I have magic too." Merlin said looking up, watching closely at Morgana's stunned reaction. Morgana stood there speechless as she saw the plank of wood drop. "And now you know I want to help you. I have no loyalties to Camelot. I should have told you about my magic a long time ago. I should have trusted you all this time! I thought Arthur was different. But he's not- he learned of my magic and kicked me out of the kingdom without a care. I was a fool to think he'd accept me otherwise!"

Morgana, trying hard to act unimpressed, marched ahead with her head held high.

"Oh so you've learned a little trick have you! I know Gaius practiced magic at one point in his life and knowing that old man, he's probably taught you all he knows! You cannot fool me Merlin, with your little MAGIC! Your skills are all simple little tricks that you can learn in a day!" Morgana then turned to him with a scowl and confronted Merlin. "I bet that's what you've done. You thought you could learn a simple trick and spy on me for Arthur? I know not to trust old friends. They are all FOE!"

"What should we do with him?" The men on Merlin's side asked nervously as they gripped Merlin's wrists tighter and rammed his back down harshly.

"Tsk tsk…" Morgana pouted turning around and walking to her impressive seat and sitting down. "Must I do everything here? All you have to do is… well… this - AGRAVEA FAREAN!" Morgana yelled instantly.

Morgana's arms extended towards Merlin, directing a blazing cerulean force to rip through the air towards Merlin.

Merlin gazed up and with a glance of his eyes, caused the force to ricochet midway and chip away at the cave walls.

Merlin instantly vanished, causing the men to fumble around trying to clutch onto the air, turning around in fear and looking for direction from Morgana.

"FIND HIM!" Morgana shrieked as she rose to her feed and spun around with her arms extended. Pale and alert, she ran over to a terrified Mordred and pulled him to her.

"Do you call that a simple trick?" Merlin called out from behind Morgana.

Turning around, Morgana stared at Merlin in horror, unable to compose herself after what she just witnessed.

"What is this….?" Morgana breathed in fear.


	2. To Prove Loyalty

**Thanks everyone:). Yes, Mark, they are indeed acting pretty immature. Let's see if there is more depth to them in the coming chapters. BTW does anyone recognize the name Menw, the character in the last chapter? (Look him up)**

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><p>Morgana's stood there trembling and fuming, glaring at Merlin who performed magic unheard of.<p>

"I told you Morgana, I have magic." Merlin pled for her acceptance.

Morgana instantly hurled another spell as she screeched, only for Merlin to block it with his hands, backing away in surprise. Again and again, Morgana blasted one spell after another, approaching Merlin in fury as he nervously blocked each strike of hers. The others observed the two, alarmed at what they were witnessing in the large dimly lit cave; their quick shadows casting on the cave walls. Mordred stood there perplexed, uncertain of what was happening, scanning the two in fear.

"Morgana you're embarrassing yourself!" Merlin yelled, appealing her to stop as he opposed her strikes.

"Where did you learn it!" Morgana demanded as she panted, shaking in anger.

"Stop Morgana!" Merlin yelled powerfully.

Merlin watched Morgana pull her arms down, panting and looking exhausted but determined to look threatening.

"Don't think I am using all the powers I can." Morgana seethed between her teeth. "I can destroy you, but I cannot lie and say I am not _curious_ as to where you learned it from. Now tell me!"

"I didn't learn it." Merlin pled to her sympathy. "I've had it all my life…"

It wasn't hard to see that Morgana felt gutted by Merlin's response. The reality that she could have had someone to go to, that she could have had someone to confide in, to relate to, to speak to – was hard for her to digest. Face flushing, and nose turning into crimson, she tried hard not to blink for fear her welled up eyes would release a sign of weakness.

"Leave me be. I must speak to him alone!" Morgana said turning to the others, including Mordred. The men nodded tensely and paced out with Mordred.

"You lied to me…" Morgana said, turning to Merlin after they left, looking like a dagger went through her. "You tried to kill me! You poisioned me! We were one and the same!"

Merlin felt a flood of guilt enter his stomach. For the first time to Merlin, he felt like he was speaking to the same Morgana he remembered from Camelot.

"I didn't want to Morgana. I did it because at the time, I thought it was right. Now I know that I – I betrayed you…and I betrayed our own kind. Now I know the safest place for me is with those who are magical."

"How could you sit there? How could you sit there serving someone who had killed so many of our kind?" Morgana cried, with tears falling down her face. As Morgana wiped her tears, she looked away with her bloodshot eyes. "So what changed your mind?" she asked skeptically, trying to regain a menacing look in her eyes.

A wind howled in the cave, cooling Merlin's neck as Arthurs disgusted face and the dragons puzzling words on fate flashed in his mind.

"Arthur found out about my magic, and told me to never show my face again..."

Morgana looked down in deep thought, and looked up at Merlin critically with a twinkle in her eye.

"You know Merlin, the last person I trusted betrayed me. And it was all because I believed their words."

Merlin, not knowing where Morgana was going with her words, listened carefully as she circled him.

"I know you are talking about Lancelot pretending to be loyal to you. But Lancelot and I are different. I have magic, and he does not. He would not fully understand our cause."

"When I was out casted Merlin..." Morgana said ignoring Merlin, recalling the time she had no one but Mordred. "I had no one to go to. Not one. You see this here? This land? This cave? Those people? "Morgana asked. "I built it. I made it. I had to gain the peoples trust!" Morgana boasted. "It was not easy. Do you know how I gained their trust?"

Merlin watched Morgana circle him and waited for the answer."How?"

"See this..." Morgana said slowly pulling her hair from her ride half of her face.

Merlin shivered at the sight of her reddish brown scar on Morgana's cheek and arm, taking away what he remembered as a flawless beauty. He glanced at her cold and hurt turquoise eyes and felt a rush of pain in his stomach.

"This here, Merlin, is proof." Morgana explained referring to her scars. "And now you must prove yourself."

"You want me to hurt myself?" Merlin asked simply.

"No…" Morgana said thoughtfully looking away. She then turned to him with a coy smile. "I want you to hurt _someone else_."

"W-who?"

"Someone who still trusts you and likes you. How about… a knight?"Morgana said, feeling more and more joyful. "I'll let you pick of course..."

Merlin's heart began to race in worry. "You want me to hurt a knight?"

"Oh no Merlin not _hurt_ one. I want you to _kill_ one."

Stunned, Merlin watched Morgana walk in circles and become increasingly excited at her clever test. Merlin's mind spun as he comprehended her request, but then calmed himself down and slowly nodded his head.

"I'll do it." Merlin replied.

"You have one day Merlin, to bring a knight here and kill him. And if you do not come back, I will find you. And this time," Morgana explained carefully, staring at Merlin with her cold and intense gaze. "Make no mistake, Merlin, when I _do_ find you, I will be _generous_ in showing you my powers."

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><p><strong>Whoa, is Merlin for real? Any ideas on who the knight will be? <strong>


	3. Temporary Servant

"Arthur, when you are King, there will be no excuse for being late." King Uther said watching his son race over to the breakfast room with obvious nerves.

"It was Dagonet…" Arthur replied spitefully as he sat down, referring to Dagonet, the latest servant arranged until they found someone else. "He didn't draw my curtains nor prepared my bath."

Uther ignored it as he beckoned Gwen to bring over Arthurs meal. Without a glance, Gwen placed a plate of smoked salmon, cheese, white bread and sop and wine. The aroma put Arthur at ease as he looked up at Gwen to thank her, only to be ignored. Even after a month, Gwen had been giving Arthur the silent treatment ever since she learned Arthur kicked Merlin out for using magic.

"Where is that Dagonet _now_?" Uther asked annoyed putting down his goblet of ale and glaring at Arthur.

Feeling annoyed himself, Arthur tried hard not to voice out his annoyance with Dagonet. Although he hated having to depend on Dagonet for a plentitude of things that were once taken care of by Merlin, he knew Dagonet wouldn't betray him in anyway. In fact, the sole reason Dagonet was still Arthurs servant was because outsiders were hard to trust in this time of war.

"He's... cleaning my armor." Arthur lied, looking down at the salmon. The reality was Arthur left Dagonet struggling to get up from his own sleep.

"Arthur," Uther announced sticking a fork in his fish. "I've spoken to a former knight, Brandis if you remember, and he has spoken to me about his daughter, Luned, serving Lady Laudine for five years. Lady Laudine is an old friend of mine and I know her taste very well- she is quiet particular about having the finest in life. For that reason, I have asked Lady Laudine to part with Luned so that she may be your servant."

A simeountaneous clang of a tray dropped from Gwen's hands to the floor and choke from Arthur sounded in the hall. Coughing on his roll, Arthur clutched his goblet and sipped his ale. "His _daughter_!" Arthur replied in appall, putting his globlet down as Gwen rushed to gather the tray and it's contents. "Father, I need a servant to replace what Merlin used to do! Not some _girl_!"

"And what _did_ he do?" Uther said as he watched Gwen under scrutiny. "Clean your armor, wake you up, and wince at your blows and strikes at practice? Surely you can expect the same from her. I believe she will be a fine servant, as her father was a fine knight."

"Father, if you don't remember, Lady Laudine has very gaudy taste, so that doesn't tell us much about her choice in servants. I still remember visiting her manor when I was 8. I was hauled with kissesand hugs and a mind numbling show of her old brooches and rings. I shudder to think of what her servant is like! Can't we find a _man_ servant?

"Not ones I can trust. It is final, Arthur, I am exhausted when watching that Dagonet crawling over the place. I know very well he isn't up to par of a servant."

Arthur clenched on his jaw as Gwen escaped the room.

"Now where has that servant left...?" Uther complained looking around holding his empty goblet.

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><p><strong>Sorry.. I know this was a short chapter. Next chapter will be interesting though :)<strong>


	4. To Lure a Knight

**Thanks for reading all :)**

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><p>"AND UHHH HOW BOUT I BET FIVE COINS IN FA THIS GAME! I SSSSSUUREE TOOO WIINNNNN THIS TIME!" Gawaine yelled over the melodious cheerful music filling the tavern of drunken men arm wrestling, punching each other, and playing dice, knucklebones and Hnefatlfe. Gawaine burped at the end and smiled slurishly at the two other men as he picked up his dice to throw and get the highest number.<p>

"AHHH HAAAAAHAAA, YA ALREADY LAST SA MANY ROUNDS!" Grinned one of the butch sweaty men. "BUT WE DON"T MINDD! HAAAAA HAAAA!" He added joyfully, turning to the other grinning man.

"AARRIGHHHHTTT- THENNN SO BE ATTTT! FIVE GALDEN COINSS ITTTT ISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" Gawaine yelled as he raised his jug of mead.

The door of the tavern opened triggering a bell to sound, though sound diluted in the otherwise rowdy tavern. Merlin stepped in cautiously smelling the aroma of stale urine and mead and scanned the insides for a set of long wavy hair, and felt surge of nerves when he spotted him. Walking towards Gawaine, Merlin ignored the men around and stood behind Gawaine to wait for them to finish.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Rejoiced the two men with their stained grins as they witness Gawaine losing in the dice game. "THAT'S ANOTHER FIVE GALD COINS! YA NEVER GANNA LARN!"

"ARIGHT ARIGHT! LAST GAMEEE!" Gawaine yelled determinedly. "I ARADY LOOST 15 GALDEN COINS! THIS TIME! I"VE PRAYED TO THA SPIRITS AND WAS TALD I WILL WIN BIG! I AM BETTING FAR FORTY GALDEN COINS!"

"Forty!" Merlin replied unintentionally, aghast to what Gawaine was doing. Gawaine turned around puzzled, and witnessed Merlin in high spirits.

"MARRRLIN! MY GOOD MANNN WHAT YAAADDOING HERE?" Gawaine said in a large grin, raising his jug of mead.

Uncomfortable, Merlin watched Gawaine deliriously welcome him in.

"I was hoping I could talk to you… "

Gawaine turned back around cheerfully and addressed the two men. "I BE BACK!" Gawaine said nodding frantically, getting up and gripping the table for balance. "I BE BACCKK!"

Gawaine, reaching out for Merlin, wrapped his arm around Merlin's neck and walked with him outside the tavern. As they exited the tavern, Gawaine looked around and pulled Merlin away from the tavern windows.

"Hey Merlin!" Gawaine greeted straightening up soberly. "How's it going!"

"Wha?-"Merlin replied, taken aback by Gawaine's sudden calmness and gain of orientation. Truly the air wasn't that fresh to allow Gawaine to regain his senses.

"OH, that." Gawaine said pointing his thumb back at the tavern. "All an act. Heh. The more they think I'm drunk, the better they think they have an advantage over me. So far I've been losing all my games with this faulty dice that gives it's owner a low chance at winning." Gawaine said pulling a dice from his right pocket. "Now I'm after some big winnings this round," Gawaine said winking, as he pulled a different set of dice from his left pocket.

"Still the same.." grinned Merlin as he chuckled. "But brilliant I suppose."

"So Merlin, what's going on? How'd ya find me?"

"Well, last I remember, after you left knighthood in Camelot, you said you'd be at the taverns near Ealdor for the next few weeks."

"And it's so sad it remains the truth..." Gawaine pondered dramatically. "So, what brings you here? Any news?"

"Uh, well yes." Merlin said looking away. Silence followed after that as Merlin thought hard to himself of what he was about to ask. "Uhm…" Merlin continued, looking up at Gawaine. "I- I …" Merlin stopped again, and began to breath shallowly.

"Merlin… not that I don't want to hear you out, but I do have a game to finish. They are going to think something is up." Gawaine commented nervously.

"I – have... Uhm." Merlin said looking up to the heavens. He shook his head and looked away and breathed out. "Look, Uhm... Gawaine. I – I was thinking. I wanted... to stop Morgana myself. I think I need to. But I need some help."

"Morgana..?"Gawaine replied seriously. "Merlin, Morgana's crazy." Gawaine simply put. "You're a one man army, and I- well, I don't even have magic. Me fighting her is like suicide. Besides, I thought … _CAMELOT_, was going to try and take care of her. I've been hearing a lot about a few attacks between Camelot and Cenred taking place already."

Merlin struggled to let the next few words to come out of his mouth.

"Gawaine… I – I think… I know wwhat to do. And I think... I know where her land is. And Uh, I found out... that, there's, uh, that, she has this magical _thing_... that she has. And if you take it away from her, she loses her powers."

Perplexed, Gawaine looked to his side and squinted. "Wow... Merlin, really? Where did you hear that!"

"Oh you know.. magical people just find out these things..." Merlin said fretfully, then remembering to smile. Merlin closed his eyes for a second and looked away. "Look, Gawaine, I was wondering if you can accompany me… uhm...and help me get this. So that I can take this thing... this thing away and therefore end Morgana."

Gawaine watched Merlin carefully.

"Merlin, look, I know what you are feeling. You have this brewing courage in your heart but you're struggling in your own self-belief! Look Merlin, I said to you when we parted that if you ever needed me, I'm here for you. I'm here for you this time. So yes, I'll come help you in this search for this magical-?"

"-_Thing_..." Merlin said, feeling his heart drop.

"Yes…_ thing_. Merlin, do we know what this _thing_ is?"

"Uh, yes, it's uhm... it's the jewel on top of her staff!"

"Oh... ok. Well, then, as I was saying, I'm here for you. And I do think it's probable we get this _thing_. But right after I win my_ thing_- that is 40 golden coins. So please excuse me Merlin so that I may win 40 golden coins. I'll meet you outside after I'm done."

Merlin gave a half smile and watched Gawaine scurry inside.

"I need to make this work…" Merlin whispered himself in panic, covering his face as grief overcame him. "_What the hell am I doing_?" he said in misery as he closed his eyes.


	5. Arrival of Arthur's New Servant

**The 10-11-Doctors, yes, I really appreciate your comments and feedback! Jayley, Merlin isn't welcome in Camelot anymore, so he couldn't go for anyone but Gawaine, because Gawaine was the closest person Merlin could find that wasn't in Camelot. Also, Percival isn't in my fanfics. Trivia: Percivals grandma was though (that's Enygues in the old stories if anyone noticed)**

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><p>"Arthur, making that face isn't going to make the situation better."<p>

Arthur mustered up enough energy to straighten up as they waited for Luned's arrival in the royal courtroom. He was alone with his father and a few other anxious servants, including Gwen who seemed unnaturally dressed up for this rather unmonumental occasion. Luned was to arrive in the afternoon, escorted by Sir Leon, after spending her last morning with Lady Laudine.

As Gwen touched her hair and smoothed her lavender silk & cotton dress that she usually wears at the royal banquets, she began to avert her eyes away from the other servants who looked at her critically.

Arthur started tapping his foot, only to annoy his father.

"Son, you do have a tendency to do that very maddening habit. Do I need to request Lord Humphreys to go over manners and etiquette?" King Uther said from his throne.

Arthur stopped tapping his foot immediately. "No, that won't be necessary." Arthur replied.

As much as Arthur didn't want to admit, he was getting nervous at the idea of Luned being a beautiful woman, which wouldn't bode well for him considering the rising war; not to mention Gwen's own personal war with him. Strangely enough though, Gwen started smiling at Arthur more often, and leaving sachets of vanilla in his shoes to help conquer the odor.

As they all waited on, a loud knock sounded, and a few servants opened the door. Sir Leon entered the room, and looked around as he turned back to bring in Luned.

Arthur held his breath and looked on, and once he saw her, he felt miserable in every way. Luned was more than beautiful. Her golden hair glowed on the surface under the sun beam shining in through the glass stained windows; the beam capturing a glance of her green eyes and pink lips. Behind her walked in a stuffy looking woman with gray hair and a white lace dress that looked more for someone 30 years younger. It was Lady Laudine. As Arthur tried to remain composed, he watched Luned and Lady Laudine walk in the courtroom.

"Lady Laudine…" King Uther said getting up from his throne. It was a rare occasion that Arthur watched his father get up from his seat to greet someone, so he could only tell he truly respected Lady Laudine.

"Your majesty!" bowed Lady Laudine. Arthur got a whiff of her heavily perfumed self, and turned to her with a planted smile. "Oh and the prince! OH heavens! He is a spitting image of his uncle, Tristan! So handsome!"

"Yes… I suppose."King Uther said uncomfortably. Arthur felt uncomfortable as well. "And is this..." Uther asked

"Oh yes, this is her alright. May I present to you, my Luned! Well, she is not mine, but… well..."

As Luned bowed, she watched Lady Laudine sob to herself, and paced over to hold her. "Oh Madam! Don't cry!"

"Oh dear, I said to myself I wouldn't cry. But I think this world will be better for you!"

"Oh no!" Luned asserted."Don't you worry! I'm always there for you always! You are amazing, you hear me! You are a beaaautiful woman and you don't need me to tell you that every day to believe it! Unless I can..." Luned said turning to Arthur. "Well, can I?" she pouted.

Arthur stood there with his father, and they exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Oh...sure."

"Oh silly girl," sobbed Lady Laudine. "You mustn't split your energy between two places. What did I tell you about being a good wife!"

"WIFE?" Arthur spat without thinking, causing Luned to turn to him with a critical gaze.

"Oh it's just an analogy Prince Arthur! She says I must take care of you as if you were my husband..." Luned explained, turning back to comfort Lady Laudine. Lady Laudine pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and blew her nose.

Aghast, Arthur turned to his father to address the ridiculousness.

"Hmm… that's not a bad analogy." Uther commented to himself, and then nodding at Arthur. "Lady Laudine does tend to have an interesting way in approaching things. "

Astounded, Arthur looked away in attempt to comprehend this whole situation.

"Oh forgive me your majesty; I will miss her very much." Lady Laudine said with streams of tears washing away her powered face.

Arthur so very wished she could take Luned back.

"Once again, Laudine, I am in debt to you for allowing us to have her as Arthur's servant. I was telling Arthur its quiet hard to trust others these days."

"I understand. Cenred is a bad man for wanting to attack. Rumor has it he's off romancing with a young lady and she's getting him to do everything. You better watch out for that man, I still remember all those stories about him and how he fought with his brothers..."

"Those were all rumors, Lady Laudine..." King Uther chuckled.

"But still! Who kills his own brothers, especially after his mother died! How terrible! That poor mother! And well, you won't believe all I've heard about Patrik. Remember that man, he's the one with the scar on his face and the curly hair who owns the jewelry shop...They say he has a mistress…."

Arthur began to tune out and watched everyone's stunned and awkward reactions. King Uther stood there respectfully listening, Luned was listening with bright eyes and with full attention, gasping at every word, and … and Gwen. Gwen stood there bewildered at the entire scene.


	6. The Betrayal Begins

**Willow battlegale: Thanks.. we'll see what happens with Merlin and Gawaine. As for Morgause, in my series, Morgause never got hurt the way they showed in S3. She is not with Morgana because Morgana felt betrayed by Morgause. Morgause (in my series) held off on telling Morgana about being her sister, so Morgana was upset. There are other reasons too, but you'd have to read about it in 'Purge Continues'. You can read a summary in my fanfic called 'Quick summaries of my Merlin fanfic series'. In anycase, watch out for Morgause in this series. She'll be making a visit in the near future.**

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><p>"That was a close one…" huffed Gawaine as he bent over to catch his breath in the middle of the cool and shaded forest. A bird flew across as a few frogs skipped along their path.<p>

"What exactly happened in there?" Merlin said gasping for breath, referring to the angry men chasing Gawaine down with red faces and toothless grins frowning intensly and swinging their maces. Merlin luckily noticed quick enough to catch up with Gawaine all the way to the middle of the forest.

"Err, I forgot to switch the dice and lost the last bet. I owed them 40 golden coins and well, heh, didn't have it..."

"Oh...sorry about that." Merlin replied awkwardly. He felt partly at fault since he distracted Gawaine in the middle of his game, which may have diffused Gawaines concentration.

"All is well Merlin!"Gawaine beamed, clapping Merlin's shoulders and seeking the horizons above framed with tree brances. "Now let's go after Morgana's fancy staff. I've been craving a bit of adventure and hero-like status."

Merlin smiled nervously.

"Right...let's go…" Merlin said walking in the direction of Morgana's cave.

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><p>Arthur walked in his room and tossed his gloves on the floor, pulled his sword out and placed it on the side and started removing his belt when he smelled something peculiar.<p>

He began sniffing the air critically, and noticed his clean room.

"Hello there Prince Arthur, I see you've noticed the improvements I've made!"greeted Luned, Arthur's new servant, as she walked in with a stack of cleaned linens. "If you're wondering what that wonderful smell is, it's a mixture of lavender, vanilla and rose oils that I soaked your sheets in. Those sheets smelled dreadful! Who cleans it anyway? The royal donkeys? UGH!"

"What is _this_?" asked Arthur shocked, pointing a lace doily on top of his dresser, where his dagger, gloves, brush, comb were all repositioned.

"It's called organizing with _style_! Don't you like it?" beamed Luned as she picked up the glove Arthur threw on the floor.

"What…. What happened to my tunics!" Arthur asked aghast as he pulled a tunic from his drawer."It's all… all… droopy!"

"Droopy?"Protested Luned. "How so?"

"Loook at it… it's… lost its.. It's structure, it's toughness, it's..."

"Well, I thought it was too stiff. How could you wear something so uncomfortable! So i softened it with some chamomile. Now you'll feel more relaxed when you go into war!"

Arthur turned to Luned in shock but decided against saying anything.

"I'm going to sleep.." Arthur announced frustrated.

"Oh are you?" Luned replied with a sly smile as she approached Arthur slowly. "Want me to tuck you in?" She asked playing with her collar.

"I-I… uh… uhmm… no…" stammered Arthur, gulping hard and with an inablity to speak coherently as he stared at Luned. He then took a step back and composed himself. "No.. uh… you can go now."

"Suit yourself Prince Arthur.." Luned said blowing as kiss as she walked out and closed the door. "I'll miss you!"

Arthur watched her leave and shook his head. As he sat on his bed and stretched out, he noticed a small doll laying next to him and closed his eyes in misery. He then grabbed it and chucked it to the side as he pulled his blankets over him.

* * *

><p>"This is quiet a maze, Merlin. Can't believe you figured out where Morgana's haven is considering how complicated it is to get there." Gawaine said as he finished hiking up a narrow path up a cliff. He squatted to rest and wiped his brow.<p>

Merlin was quiet and looked down at the grass. "Right.."

"You're awfully quiet.." Gawaine commented as he got up to follow Merlin.

"Sorry, I'm just… I don't know." Merlin said frustrated with himself.

"You afraid..?" asked Gawaine almost knowingly. "Afraid of what might happen today with Morgana?"

Merlin nodded. "Something like that."

"I understand. It's hard sometimes. I suppose it's harder for you since she was once your friend and you may feel like you are betraying her."

Merlin took in a deep breath.

"But, you know Merlin, you got to do what you got to do. She's no longer a good friend of yours."

"Right.." Merlin said nodding as he spotted his destination. Lifting a tree branch, Merlin could see the cave in the middle of a land with a few tents perched. Gawaine came next to Merlin and lifted a branch himself to get a clearer view.

"Is that it Merlin?" Gawaine asked in awe, scanning the cozy piece of land. "Can't believe this is it... this is enemies land."

Merlin got up and nodded. "Come on.."

"Wait Merlin, what are we doing exactly? What's the plan?" Gawaine said pulling Merlin down.

"Well, uh, let's go to the cave..."

"Right… but Merlin, we can't just… _go in there_. We've got to make sure it's safe."

"Oh yea..How about you go in there, since Morgana doesn't know you, and if she catches you, just act like a druid."

"A druid? What's that exactly.."

"Druids are magical and peace loving people."

"But I have no magic, what if she asks me to demonstrate something. Can you teach me something real quick?"

"Well, no.." Merlin said. "You can tell her that you are fasting from using magic today. Some druids do that for purification purposes."

"So what's my excuse for being in the cave?"

"You're looking for Morgana?"

"But why?"

"Because…. you want to help her in her efforts.."

"But I thought you said Druids are peace loving? Why would they want to help her?"

"Well.. you are a different kind of druid…"

Gawaine dropped his head and and seemed irritated.

"Merlin, I'm not trying to be unsupportive, but.. I don't think we have a proper plan set up. I say we go back and come up with something more convincing and fail proof. The last thing that I want happening is an unnecessary death sentence."

Merlin closed his eyes in sorrow.

"I'm sorry Gawaine, but I don't have the time. _Slaeppan._" Merlin replied sadly, blasting a sleeping spell on Gawaine.


	7. Merlin's Puzzling Proposal

*Groan**

Gawaine lifted his neck and squinted his eyes to get a better look of his surroundings, and felt an energetic presence around him. To his surprise, his wrists were tied behind on some sort of pole and the energy around him awoke. He sensed a black cloaked gliding on the dirt rubble beneath, and then realized it belonged to a beautiful lady. He instantly recognized Morgana.

"Morgana..." He breathed as his vision became clearer.

Morgana smirked. "Very good…" she spoke. "A round of applause everyone?" she said clapping, then turning to him with her turquoise eyes.

A few claps sounded, enough to support her twisted humor. Gawaine stared at her furiously after looking around at the eager crowd.

"What have you done to Merlin?" Gawaine demanded angrily. "Where is he...?"

"Oh, " Morgana said nonplussed. "Are you concerned about him?"

"If you did anything to him, I swear I will fight!"

"Ha haa!" Morgana smiled. "Look at this!" she said looking around amused. "Could it be he is this slow?"

A few chuckles sounded. Gawaine looked at them suspiciously.

"You see… " Morgana began. "There are two points you are missing. One is the obvious, that is- you cannot fight us because you will die today. And two, your friend Merlin is not hurt. In fact, he is the reason you are here in this vulnerable position."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Gawaine said in a lower voice.

"Well you see…" Morgana began. "Well wait. How about Merlin explains it himself?"

Morgana moved to the side when behind her, emerged Merlin. It was obvious there was guilt and shame painted across his face, but he tried his best to look confident. His eyes glazed over Gawaine and looked down slowly.

"What are you doing Merlin! HELP ME!" Gawaine said in such urgency. "SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

Morgana noticed Merlin's silence, and walked over.

"Don't you get it.. Merlin's not your friend anymore. He's turned you in on purpose."

Gawaine was trembling in his position.

"MERLIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! I'M YOUR FRIEND."

Merlin looked down feeling more disturbed than ever. He closed his eyes and began to panic, and then looked up.

"I'm sorry Gawaine.." Merlin said, choking a little.

"What the hell is going on! What did she do to you? What spell did you put him under!" Gawaine said tugging at his wrists aggressively.

"Oh I wish I could take the credit for this… but this is all Merlin. He was more than willing to turn in a friend, weren't you." Morgana asked. "I should know in fact. He won't be merciful." Morgana said.

Merlin turned to Morgana and knew she was referring to the time he poisoned her, only for her to eventually be cured by Morgause.

"I have to do this.." Merlin told Gawaine, his voice choking a bit.

Gawaine watched him with stunned look, and then dropped his gaze in stunned silence.

"Well go on now, Merlin. That is if you are to fulfill your promise." Morgana said, walking away to allow Merlin to kill Gawaine.

"Wait." Merlin called out seriously, causing the crowd to whisper. Morgana turned to him critically, and straightened herself.

"What?"

"How do I know you will let me be a part of your group. Once I kill him that is."

It was obvious Morgana didn't like being questioned, for it killed the anticipation and mood.

"What are you talking about?" she asked slowly.

"How do I know you aren't just having me kill Gawaine for good fun, and then never allow me to join."

Morgana looked at him critically.

"Because I said so…" Morgana explained. "I, unlike you, have no reason to be doubted."

"You are asking for me to prove my trust, so I ask you to prove you can be trusted."

Morgana frowned, and began to look insulted.

"You can trust me, because if I realllly wanted to, I could kill your little friend right now. But I am giving you the honor!"

"You don't know if you can kill him." Merlin said gaining confidence, slightly high on puzzling Morgana. "How do you know I can't stop you? I can use my magic to stop you from killing Gawaine. And if you try to kill him and not allow me, " Merlin said looking at Morgana's eyes. Her pupils shrunk amongst the turquoise. "How do you know I won't kill you?"

"YOU!" Morgana yelled. "You're a simple little boy who knows a few magic tricks."

"Is it really that simple?" Merlin challenged. "How many people do you know who can travel from one spot to another." Merlin asked, transporting himself from Morgana's left side to right. Morgana had no answer.

"SO Merlin.." Smiled Morgana madly. "You think you can kill me, and I _know _I can kill you. Like to battle it out?" She said leaning forward with a maddening look in her eyes.

"No." Merlin said confidently, causing her to pause. "I told you I want to help you."

"What is it that you want!" she \ seethed between her teeth.

"I want to know I can trust you. I want you to tell me what your plan is in killing Uther.."

"I will never tell you that!"

"Listen, once you tell me, I will support you and know you are one to trust." Merlin explained. "And you have to tell me the truth. If you change your plan, and _when_ I find out, you will see what I'm really capable of." Merlin said darkly.

A twitch in Morgana's eyes released, showing a hint of fear.

"I have no reason for you to be here. I don't need to tell you anything"

"Don't you?" Merlin said extending his arm out to a tree, and causing it to levitate. "You've haven't seen what I can do for you." Morgana couldn't hide her shock, but tried very hard. She looked down.

She rose her head stared at everyone, who had their eyes all on Merlin. Gawaine was watching too, stunned as to what was going on.

"Everyone go! Not you Mordred.." Morgana yelled. "I need to speak to Merlin in private."

The crowd left quietly, leaving Morgana, Merlin, Mordred and Gawaine in the area.

Morgana looked around and stared at Merlin.

"How dare you try to make me look like a fool! You are beginning to undermine me!"

"You will be the bigger fool if you don't listen to me. You must tell me your plans, or you will never succeed."

"How do I know you won't tell Arthur!"

"Then you can change your plan."

"What if I don't know you're telling Arthur?"

"If I wanted you defeated, I would have done it by now.."

Morgana began to look more puzzled than frustrated and shook her head.

"You are a very confusing Merlin, but I can't put my finger on it. A part of me wonders what you are truly capable of. And a part of believes you are telling me the truth." Morgana said in deep thought. "I will tell you." Morgana said pulling herself together. "But once I do, He," she said pointing to Gawaine. "DIES."

"I promised you that already." Merlin said, waiting for her to tell him the plan.

"We plan on to attack at second week of winter. There's a path on the east side of the kingdom that Uther doesn't know about. "

"Show me."

Morgana took a deep breath, and casted an image against the outside of the cave wall. It showed a stream of water next to field of yellow flowers. Behind it was a stone path that, if you lifted the branches, dove into a tunnel beneath. Merlin recognized the area at once and was surprised to see it even there.

"Tell me more.." Merlin demanded.

"I told you enough."

"Where does the tunnel lead to?"

Morgana became silent and thought hard. She walked over to a patch near the cave, and lifted the stone to reveal the entrance.

"Is that enough information for you?" she asked annoyed.

Merlin nodded.

"Now kill him." Morgana said simply, turning to a defeated Gawaine.

"Please… Merlin." Gawaine said shaking his head. "Don't let her attack them. They are good people, even though they are unreasonable."

Merlin looked at Gawaine strenuously, and became weak with guilt. Merlin extended his arm up, and aimed at Gawaine.

"Merlin, no… please… don-!" At that moment, with tears in Merlin's eyes, Gawaine head dropped low, and the force of the deadweight caused Gawaine to fall right to the floor.

Merlin stood still in shock, hyperventilating, and staring profusely at Gawaine as Morgana dashed in front.

Morgana came to a pause, but easily composed herself.

"Wait…Mordred. See that he is dead."

Mordred walked over to Gawaine, and inspected him.

"He has no pulse, nor is he breathing." Mordred said getting up.

Morgana turned to Merlin slowly.

"I cannot believe it…" Morgana said to a tense Merlin. "Well. Welcome to our cause. May we succeed together."

Merlin looked at Gawaine frantically.

"Can I at least bury him properly?" Merlin asked with worry in his eyes, referring to the limp body.

"Go ahead… if that makes you feel any better." Morgana said walking away. "Meet me during dinner. We have much to talk about."

As Morgana walked off, Merlin went over to Gawaine and kneeled below. He then used his powers to lift him and take him away.

* * *

><p>A bird dove, tweeting to its fellow friends, while a squirrel scurried around carrying an acorn.<p>

*Groan…*

The figure pulled himself up, only to fall straight down on the dry leaves. He squinted in pain as his heart jolted his body, shaking his very insides. His head throbbed and his throat felt tight, making it hard to swallow. A bad taste in his mouth made him spit on the floor. As the blood flooded back into his arms and legs, he winced at the feeling of numbness. Groaning some more, the figure realized he was alive.

He looked around and saw no one, got to his feet, and stumbled away in desperate search for Prince Arthur.


	8. Making Up, the Request, and the Warning

**wow, was the last chapter so bad that I got little replies? *worried* please let me know what you think.**

* * *

><p>"You're awake!" Luned spoke melodically as she came into Arthur's room with his set of clothes. "And I haven't prepared your bath. Let me hurry and gather the lavender to soak in your bath! Don't worry! It won't take long"<p>

"That's not necessary..." Arthur said turning from the window. The bright daylight shone in, warming and awaking Arthur.

"Oh dear, you look pale!" Luned exclaimed looking at Arthur. "And you're sweating…. "Luned said becoming slightly mesmerized. Arthur raised his brows. "Well..." Luned said stroking her neck. "Don't you look so manly? Do you need me to take care of you...?"

Arthur choked on the air.

"No.. Luned... Please... just... get my bath ready..."

Disappointed, Luned shrugged her shoulders and walked out as Arthur stared. He shook his head and looked out, reminding him of why he woke up so early. He had a nightmare about Camelot going into chaos after a dark army charged in from the forest. Looking at the bustling day from his window, he didn't see anything suspicious, but he had a growing fear.

*knock knock knock*

Arthur turned around and glanced at Gwen.

"Guinevere…"

Gwen smiled in shame and looked up. "Hi Arthur.."

"I-.."

"I just wanted to say I'm… sorry," Gwen said finally. "I was just upset about Merlin… but I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."

"No…" Arthur shook his head, though feeling a rush of gratitude towards Gwen for finally forgiving him. "I want you to speak up, and I want others too. Sometimes I don't make the right decisions, and those few people who speak up.. I know deep inside they have some truth to what they are saying."

Gwen smiled slightly.

"So… how's Luned?" Gwen asked with a amused look in her gaze.

"Not Merlin.." replied Arthur amused, showing a slight sign of sadness." I didn't tell you this.. But… I went to Ealdor a few weeks ago."

Gwen looked stunned. "Ealdor? But that's in Cenreds Kingdom.."

"I know… I went to look for Merlin. I was hoping I could bring him back."

"Well, what happened? What did he say?"

"He wasn't there… his mother was worried and said he left without telling her. He left a note saying he plans to go on some sort of journey." Arthur explained. He deliberately left off information about Enygues, and her final words to him before she died.

"Maybe he needed a break from everything…" Gwen pondered on. "To take his mind off of everything that's been going on."

"Well, I hope one day he can forgive me as you had," Arthur said, smiling at Gwen. "And that way I can punch him for being the idiot he is for worrying his mother."

"I'm sure we will," smiled Gwen. "I mean, he's Merlin! He's bound to make a presence sooner than later!",

* * *

><p>Uther and Arthur began eating breakfast, and this time the mood was dim. Uther had just learned about a villager walking in the woods near Cenreds land and getting attacked mysteriously. The villager claimed it was someone from Cenreds land, to which made Uther more nervous.<p>

"Marlow will be reporting on what is happening in Cenreds land in the afternoon…" Uther spoke, referring to the spy they sent over to Cenreds land. "See that he is well fed and sheltered. I want him to tell us everything."

"Yes, father." Arthur said, moving his fork around in his dish in deep thought.

"What is that smell, Arthur?" Uther asked, raising his goblet for Gwen to fill.

"Lavender." Arthur replied, looking at his father with an unhappy look.

"Is that the works of your new servant, Luned.." Uther asked.

"Yes, father. And now that you've brought it up, I'd like to again request for another servant."

"Why is that? Surely you can tell Luned to stop using Lavender in your things."

"She's… becoming a distraction. I don't think I need that right now in time of this uncertainty."

"A distraction? How so.."

"Well…" Arthur said, fully aware Gwen was there and possibly listening. "It's just… "

"Yes.." Uther replied, waiting for Arthur to finish.

"You know, she's a … a woman. A women that… that's not necessarily ugly..." Arthur explained vaguely, as he looked deep down in his food.

"I see…" Uther replied. "My goodness, how time has passed. I once forgot what it was like to be your age. Of course I understand how you feel. And I suppose your right.. These days are not the best time to feel that way."

Arthur felt a rush of relief.

"Thank you father."

"I suppose I'll have to arrange for her to go back to Lady Laudine. We will need to get rid of this one here as well." Uther replied, referring to Gwen.

Arthur shot up.

"Father, no, uhm.. You don't need to get rid of her."

"Why not?" Uther asked.

"Well, … I .." Arthur struggled. _What could he say?_

"Is she not considered a beauty enough to distract you?"

"No- I mean.. Yes… I mean, no…" Arthur panicked, flickering his eyes between both a puzzled Uther and appalled Gwen. "I mean, I'm so used to Guinevere's presence, so… she's almost invisible to me."

Uther studied Arthur carefully.

A heightened dragging sound came from the hall outside, where a man began complaining.

_"Please…stop treating me like this... I need to speak to the prince… Let mee!"_

Arthur and Uther rose in their seats and pulled out their swords. Arthur strode ahead and waited for the doors to open.

As the doors swung open, a large crowd of knights came in with serious and worried looks. Sir Leon pulled his helmet off and bowed slightly to the King. He then turned to Arthur.

"Prince Arthur, someone here wants to talk to you. We were not sure what to do with him, so we brought him to you..."

Arthur looked to the other knights and sensed a fidgeting presence. Sir Leon pulled away, only to present Gawaine behind, struggling weakly from the tight grips of the knights. Pale as a ghost, with dark circles under his eyes, his jostled sweaty hair lay fretfully on his head. Gawaine glanced at Arthur weakly, his eyes drifting above, obviously losing strength and focus as he tried to catch his breath.

_"Arthur... Merlin has joined Morgana… Camelot is in danger... …" _


	9. Questionable Intentions

**10-11-Doctors- Was this quick enough? hehe. As far as Gawaine assuming Merlin sided with Morgana, despite living, you may see the reason**

* * *

><p>"Take him to Gaius!" Arthur shouted, watching Gawaine faint. "Father!" Arthur preemptively protested, watching his father open his mouth in fury, shaking. "Please let me handle this." Arthur said seriously, meeting his father's alert eyes with his pained one. Uther stared at Arthur incredulously and said nothing. "Please father."<p>

Uther said nothing but stared at Arthur grotesquely, obviously struggling to comprehend his request. Arthur marched down the halls where a knight carried Gawaine, where all the servants and staff pulled aside and walked towards. Arthur felt his heart pound against his chest as he walked down the hall.

"Everyone SPLIT UP! Sir Leon, Matthew, Hoard, the whole group, get out there and parole the Western side at once!" Arthur commanded. "Sir Kay, Fallon, Maguire! Eastern side now!" Sir Charles, Bedievere, Ector! Northern side, NOW! Sir Pattering! Akron! SOUTHERN SIDE GO! MacDraw! Raise the drawbridge, get the King over to his room and lock the door!"

The knights nodded eagerly and ran out with their swords, alarming everyone they passed. Lancelot began to follow Sir Kay in deep desire to help.

"LANCELOT NOT YOU! COME HERE!" Arthur yelled.

Lancelot hurried over to Arthur's side and awaited his command.

"I need you to confirm anything you can about what Gawaine says about Morgana. I don't know if I can trust him yet."

Lancelot nodded nervously and followed him to Gaius's hall. Taking a right turn into Gaius room, Arthur witnessed Gaius placing Gawaine down on a cot, opening his eyes and checking his pulse, and pouring water in his mouth. He then began drawing some blood.

"What's happened to him?" Arthur demanded. Arthur didn't quiet feel the same about Gaius after finding out Merlin had magic, but kept a cordial relationship.

"It looks like he's lost quite a bit of blood. I see no wounds however. His pulse is low, but I can give him some wallyflower for it."

Arthur looked around and witnessed Luned watching from afar in worry.

"Luned! Come here! I need you to assist Gaius is everything he needs!"

Luned nodded nervously and looked around.

"I can get the wallyflower! I have a stock of them actually in my things. It duals for a nice itch relief!"

Perplexed, Arthur nodded desperately. At that moment, Gwen walked in stunned, flickering her eyes to everyone. She stood behind, helping Gaius clear the area.

"Is – is he going to be alright? Gaius, what else do we need to do for him?"Arthur asked.

"I believe all he needs some more tonic and rest…" Gaius replied nervously. "He heart beat is picking up... It's quite peculiar."

*Groan...*

Luned dashed back in and walked in with fresh wallyflowers. Gaius nodded and took a few petals, grinded it and placed it in a cup of water. He poured it in Gawaine's mouth, and noticed his lips tremble slightly.

The next five minutes was longer than Arthur could handle. All he could think was about Camelot, but what really tore him up was the idea Merlin was helping Morgana.

Arthur watched Gawaine stir.

"Arthur…."

"Gawaine!" Arthur said pulling to his side.

"I feel like I died a hundred times...…"

"What happened? What is Morgana planning? Is she coming now? From which side..."

"Not now…" Gawaine panted. "She is not coming now….Winter... the start of it."

Arthur sighed a breath of relief, but held onto his vigilance, for he didn't know whether he could truly believe Gawaine after Gawaine not only insulted him, but left knighthood in Camelot.

Gaius poured a concoction in Gawaine's mouth, making Gawaine's voice stronger.

"Thanks you Gaius." Gawaine nodded. A flush of color came to his cheeks."What the hell is in that? It's made me feel tons better…" Gawaine said getting up.

"Just a very strong mixture of some potent medicine..." Gaius said in deep thought.

Lancelot stood there behind Arthur eagerly, and watched everything.

"Gawaine… tell me everything."

Gawaine nodded.

"Camelot is in danger... you were right about Merlin. Please tell me this is a nightmare..."

"Tell me from the start." Arthur asked with immense determination.

"I CAME AS SOON AS I HEARD!" Dagonet called from the halls and into Gaius's room. "Oh no! Gawaine!"

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" Arthur yelled at Lancelot. Lancelot nodded and escorted an appalled Dagonet out the room. Guinevere, Luned, please, guard Gaius's door. Don't let anyone in!"

"Us?" Luned replied appalled. "But, but were are just..."

"Come on!" Gwen called, pulling Luned out the door as she closed the door shut.

"Gawaine, please… go on." Arthur asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Gawaine shook his head.

"After you got rid of Merlin, " Gawaine started, shivering at the name Merlin. "I joined him on his walk and told him that if he ever needed me, I'd be at the taverns enjoying myself. To which I did, I had a comfortable time, playing dice and drinking mead. Well one day, _he_ came by and asked me to join him in efforts to end Morgana."

Arthur could tell Gawaine tried avoiding use of Merlins name.

"I felt slightly unsure about doing so, since we were just an army of two, but he mentioned there was a stone on her staff that if was broken, would end her powers. I don't know if he made it up or if it was the truth, but I believed him and thought we had a shot at it. So, I walked with him in the forest. I'll tell you one thing, he did seem quieter, and more serious as well. I thought it was his nerves, and went along and told him to be brave. There he took me to Morgana's land. It was unbelievable to be so close to enemies land. It's a vulnerable area, with absolutely zero guards around, which took me by surprise. I felt nervous about that, because I would think she'd have some sort of protection around her land. There was a big cave in the middle of a field, and a lot of tents around..."

Arthur looked up at Lancelot as Gawaine described the area in full totality, wondering if he made a contradictory face. All he saw was Lancelot nodding.

"Anyway, that's when things were baffling. I don't even really understand what happened, but I started asking him what the plan was. He kept avoiding my eyes and told me some plan that I think he made up on the spot. I didn't have a good feeling, so I suggested we turn back. That's when I remember his eyes… his blue eyes just stared at me in sorrow. At that point, I remember just opening my eyes. I couldn't tell if I woke up from a dream, or if I was in a dream. I attempted to pinchmyself several times and began to realize I was tied up to a pole under the sun. I think it was midday. I couldn't understand what was happening. I saw people all around, just watching me in anticipation. Then she came out. Morgana. I thought something happened to Merlin at that point. She was mocking me I think, I wasn't really paying attention to her. I was just trying to figure out how to break lose. But what caught my attention was when she said that Merlin caused me to be there and that I would die. I didn't understand it at first and I thought it was some sort of ploy to get me angry. But then he came out. It took me some time to realize he truly did betray me, because he didn't help me and was avoiding my gaze. I kept trying to struggle out of my hold, and then began to see Morgana and him arguing."

"Arguing?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, I should have paid more attention to what they were saying. I think they were arguing about trusting one another. I started paying more attention when I saw Merlin do some very powerful looking magic. He lifted a tree from its roots. Everyone was whispering and Morgana looked unhappy. That's when Morgana told the crowd to leave. At that point, I believed I had some chance of surviving. It looked like things weren't going as planned. Excuse me,"

All three Arthur, Lancelot and Gaius were engrossed as they watched Gawaine take some water quickly. He rubbed his throat.

"Sorry. At that point, he told her to tell him her plan on attacking Camelot. Morgana told him that she plans to attack Camelot on the beginning of winter. He wanted to know more. She told him about a secret tunnel that goes from near her cave to Camelot. She then casted an image on outside of the cave wall, and it showed a field of flowers on the east side of the kingdom, and there was this tunnel ."

"Do you remember where it's at exactly?"

"I'll never forget it. I just kept thinking, Please attack Morgana Merlin!, Escapes with me, so then we can tell you all of this."

Gawaine then shook his head continuously.

"Then, my stomach turned inside out in fear. It seemed Merlin was satisfied, and he didn't attack her. Morgana told him to kill me, and he didn't hesitate. He just turned to me… and… I pled. I just remember, the last image I saw was my father's disappointed face. Then everything went black."

"How did you survive.." Lancelot asked in wonder.

"I don't know.. I remember, there was a slight moment I woke up. I screamed, but I couldn't feel my mouth move. My heart raced unbelievably, then it dropped very low. Low to the point of me realizing I was truly going to die. I tried to open my mouth to yell, but I couldn't. I tried to lift my body. It wouldn't obey. It felt like I was a statue, a soul in a frozen statue. I just kept thinking about my father and how I disappointed him…"Gawaine explained in deep thought. He became silent for a few seconds and closed his eyes. He opened it.

"At that point, I opened my eyes alert, and jerked my foot and was stunned it moved. My heart was racing. I got up and it was dark all around. I felt weak and in terrible pain, but kept shaking my own body to see if I really could move it. There was a terrible taste in my mouth. I threw up a few times, but I knew if there was one thing I needed to do, before I died, is to warn you all. Merlin thought he killed me.. But he didn't. I don't know how powerful he really is, but I'll tell you one thing, he wasn't powerful enough to kill me. I can't believe I trusted him, you were right about him."

Arthur rubbed his forehead in agony and shook his head.

"Thank you Gawaine. Thank you for … everything. Please rest now."

Arthur got up after Gawaine nodded and ran his fingers though his hair.

"I believe everything he said. His description sounded right." Lancelot said instantly. Arthur nodded and looked off to the distance. "Can you help Gaius?"

"Of course."

Arthur walked out of the room, leaving Lancelot , Gaius and Gawaine there.

Gawaine closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Lancelot scratched his head and looked down in distress.

"I can't believe this. Merlin always seemed to be a good man." Lancelot commented.

"Yes.. " Gaius said, also stunned, and in deep thought.

"What do you think about all of this Gaius.." Lancelot asked, noticing Gaius few words. "You've been living with Merlin. Do you think he's truly capable of this…"

"I don't." Gaius said, in disappointment. "But I've been wrong about things before."

Gaius walked over to a vial and paused in surprise. He shook the contents carefully and stared at it stunned.

"What is it?" Lancelot asked, coming forth and looking at the vial.

"This is Gawaine's blood I drew. You see how it turned a bright orange?"

"Yes?"

"It shows it has Immordium and traces of its anecdote." Gaius said astonished. He then turned to a puzzled Lancelot. "Immordium, Lancelot, is a tonic that is used when one wants to mimic death. It will pause the body's function, including the heart, with not harm to the person overall, as long as they are given the anecdote within ten minutes."

Lancelot eyes flickered around.

"What do you think that means?"

"It means..Gawaine truly felt all of the pain he described. However, he may be wrong in one part. _Merlin may not have intended on killing him_."

"We need to tell Prince Arthur!" Lancelot said at once.

"No... " Gaius said. "We don't understand what is really happening and do not want Arthur to drop his guard. Don't tell anyone about this."

* * *

><p><strong>10-11 doctors- incase you didn't get your answer from the above, the reason why Gawaine believes Merlin sided with Morgana is because Merlin didn't tell Gawaine that he had a plan. The very least Merlin could have done was tell Gawaine that he plans to fake kill him, if that was truly his intention. Merlin just went ahead and attempted to kill him. For all Gawaine knows, Merlin tried and failed. Gawaine thinks he was just lucky.<strong>

**Now we are at a moment where Merlins intentions are truly questioned, now that this Immordium stuff is in the picture. (Btw, the show used this tonic before from the Troll episode.)**


	10. Sir Kay's Frustration

**Sorry for the long hiatus! Don't know if anyone is still interested in reading this but here is a chapter. Please review.**

Arthur's horse sped out of the kingdom in an otherwise bustling town going about in their everyday business. Few people noticed his rather determined expressions and the odd absence of Merlin by his side, something they had to get used to.

Arthurs heart raced quicker than his horse as he head out towards the east side of the kingdom in search for Sir Kay, Fallon, Maguire, the three knights he sent over to the east side to look out for Morgana. His gut ached in disappointment with regards to what he learned about Merlin. How could any of it be true? How could Merlin side with Morgana in her vengeance to Camelot? Why was Camelot safety the cost of him turning Merlin away?

His horse was pulled to a stop and it obeyed when reaching the three men looking around frantically.

"Have you seen anything?" Arthur called out to the three knights, hopping off his horse and scanning around the lofty forest that allowed the bright sun to peek through the leafy branches.

"No sir!"Sir Maguire replied with the highest regard, approaching Arthur. "Everything seems to be in order sire. Is there anything you would like us to do?"

"What is going on! Is what Gawaine saying true?" Sir Kay asked, approaching Arthur boldly with opposing attitude, causing the other knights to watch stunned.

"It's quite possible what he says is true," Arthur said rather frustrated, avoiding eye contact with Sir Kay. "I need you all to tell me something. Have you seen a field of flowers of some sort? A yellow color?"

Puzzled looks seemed to overcome the knight's expressions.

"Flowers?" Sir Kay spat out, seemingly angered.

"There's a secret tunnel beneath a rock near it," Arthur said glaring at Sir Kay furiously as he marched away. "Morgana plans to use it to reach Camelot."

As the knights followed, Sir Kay lashed out.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't exiled Merlin!"

Arthur turned around furiously and marched up to Sir Kay.

"Do not challenge me Kay," Arthur commanded heatedly. "I am your leader and your behavior will send you out too."

Sir Kay gave Arthur an icy stare.

"I think you've made enough enemies," Sir Kay commented quietly to Arthur. Arthur, almost numb from disappointment, fumed at him before turning around in search for the field of flowers. Kay stood and stared as the knights walked on. After some thought and annoyance with himself, he began following them.

* * *

><p>The reflection of Merlin's face rippled in the water as Merlin dipped his hands below to rinse his face. His heart felt numb with disappointment and looked up at the morning sky in hope as the wind cooled his damp skin.<p>

A sudden crunching sound caused him to turn back and stand, staring at the tall blades of grass bordering the lake he was at. Puzzled, he saw a figure leave quickly. Curious, Merlin tried to follow the figure by walking through the tall grass.

"Hello!" Merlin called out, without answer. By the time he reached Morgana's land, he realized he found no one.

"There you are," Morgana said approaching him in her emerald green dress with a coy smile. "I've been looking for you."

Merlin watched Morgana. "I was just washing up."

"You didn't meet me for dinner last night," Morgana commented to Merlin inquisitively. She was referring to last night after Merlin 'killed' Gawaine. "I trust you are not having second thoughts?"

"Not at all," Merlin replied. "I just wasn't feeling well."

To Merlin's surprise, Morgana looked at him in genuine concern. "You know Merlin," she began. "It can be hard to do what may seem as wrong. But it's the only way magic will prevail. We will show them. Now come on, let's eat breakfast. It is a lot better than what you were fed in the castle."

Merlin followed Morgana back to the cave to join her for breakfast.

* * *

><p>Sir Kay closed the door to his room and walked over to the window. He looked out at the land of Camelot and out towards the forest recalling the afternoon. After a hard day of searching, Arthur and the knights found the field of flowers and a few big boulders that were impossible to budge. Arthur dismissed the knights for the day after announcing that they would try again when Gawaine was awake.<p>

Sir Kay whipped away from the window and walked out his room and down the stairs. Marching down the halls in search for physician's room, he felt his heart pumping. As he knocked on the door, Luned opened the door in surprise.

"Sir Kay! Well, how are you?"

"Is Gawaine awake?" Sir Kay asked immediately.

"Well, no. I am watching over him while Gaius is out. Gaius said I should make sure he gets his rest."

"I'm awake," Gawaine called out groggily.

"Oh dear!" Luned ran over to Gawaine by his side. "You mustn't wake up! You must rest!"

Gawaine stared at the blonde beauty dreamily.

"Well, hello there…"

Luned smiled bashfully, lifting her fingers to her lips as she giggled. "My name is Luned. Please to meet you."

"Pleasures all mine," Gawaine said staring at Luned, reaching out to kiss her hand with the little energy he had.

"Oh my!" giggled Luned. "No one told me you were charming as well as brave! Why, I heard you were quite a strong man out there by escaping death and finding a way to warn the king."

"Well, you know, it's just my nature," shrugged Gawaine with humbleness as real as Dagonet's position in the kingdom. "It is my responsibility to warn and ensure the safety of everyone. It does not matter how tired I am and how little I ate. I had to do it."

"Wow," sighed Luned. "You are quite fearless and so very strong!"

Gawaine gave Luned his most charming smile before being interrupted by Kay.

"As I said before, can I please speak to Gawaine?"

Jumping up nervously, Luned got to her feet and smoothed her dress as she turned red. "Of course!"

"Alone." Kay said staring at Luned impatiently.

As Luned walked out of the room, Gawaine turned to Kay with an embarrased smile. The last time Kay and Gawaine interacted was prior to Gawaine leaving knighthood in Camelot.

"Tell me Kay, what's on your mind," Gawaine asked gripping a cup of water laying on his side.

"Merlin's on my mind," Kay responded in deep thought. "What you say is true? Merlin has sided with Morgana?"

"Yes," Gawaine replied. "I'm sorry, but it is. I swear my life on it."

"What message did he have?" Kay asked keenly, coming closer to Gawaine. "Why did he say he sided with her?"

Gawaine sighed.

"There was no message Kay. I wish I understood all of that myself. Merlin has changed and that is all I know."

"I don't understand," Kay said more to himself.

Suddenly the door opened with Gaius coming in holding a few herbs.

"Kay? I thought all the knights were in the common room with Prince Arthur."

Kay slightly jumped from the reminder and dashed off abruptly to join the meeting leaving Gawaine and Gaius puzzled.

* * *

><p>Ector tossed his helmet on the bed Kay was sitting on after a long day of meetings and guarding the kingdom.<p>

"I am getting too old for this," Ector said bending backward to crack his back. He noticed his son pondering deeply on the bed. "You have been quiet son. Not your jovial self."

Kay lifted his head and stared at his father.

"How am I to be jovial? We learn Merlin has sided with Morgana and now Prince Arthur is calling them the enemy. Doesn't any of this strike you as odd?"

"Temper, son. Your behavior at the meeting was quite obvious," Ector said pulling off his chainmail, referring to the fuming looks Kay gave throughout the discussion on how to attack Morgana's forces and further guard Camelot.

"Well maybe I don't care about what Prince Arthur thinks," Kay said looking up.

Ector turned around and stared at his son quizzically. "He's our future king and our leader, Kay."

"No," Kay said standing up furiously, laughing slightly. "Don't you get it! You know very well that isn't true. Our leader is Merlin and if he's out there siding with Morgana, I am not sure what I am doing here siding with the enemy!"

"We don't know if what Gawaine said is true," Ector said seeming to struggle with the topic himself.

"We have magic father! And you saw how Arthur handled it with Merlin! What hope do we have for ourselves! We are on the wrong side! Maybe Merlin is trying to tell us that!"

"Killing a friend is not a side I want to be a part of. If you do remember, Prince Arthur spared Merlin's life. Merlin tried to kill Gawaine." Ector said wrapping his belt in a loop.

"He is our leader!" Kay spat out pointing out the window. "Whatever he does, I must support!"

"Enough!" Ector commanded, turning to his son angrily. "I understand very well the confusion you are going through, but I am smart enough to hide it. I am just as eager to find out what's going on as you are but I am not going to act rash and do something stupid. Now tomorrow is a long day. Get some rest!"

Kay was furious and stormed out the room.

"Don't do anything you will regret Kay!"


	11. Menw's Powers and the Emrites

**Hi Everyone! Is anyone still around? Well, I thought I'd pick this story back up after being completely disappointed by how Merlin ended. So many more interesting plots were not ventured. So, I decided to fill that void by writing the rest of my story. Hope you enjoy.**

Merlin looked down at the bowl of mushed grains diluted with water that the cook prepared for Morgana and her guest. The mouth of the cave was positioned in front of the various tents belonging to Morgana's followers stationed on the green grass and bordered by large trees. To be truthful, the porridge wasn't much worse than what he was used to in Camelot, and he far expected worse.

"Merlin, I have lots of plans for us. Magic needs presence and acceptance in Camelot," Morgana explained in a way Merlin thought was reasonable. Not very Morgana like. Morgana's eyes pierced into Merlin's causing him to look away. "Magic will be a force to be reckoned with. Magic will need to rule the lands of Albion, and no longer bow down to the weakness of non-magical people who have no rights to our land."

Merlin swallowed his porridge and felt it slide down his throat slowly as his listened.

"Do you even know the history of these lands?" Morgana questioned lightly, "Do you know who came here first, who lived here first before Uther and his kind? It was the druids! We must take what is rightfully ours. And now, wait; don't look at me like that. My goal is simple. We need to bring back the golden age of the magic. Where magic ruled... peacefully. And to do that, Merlin, may mean some hardship. But you are used to making tough decisions, are you not?" Morgana said, referring to Merlin killing Gawaine and almost herself for the 'greater good'. "Are you truly prepared to do this?"

Merlin looked down at his bowl of porridge, realizing Morgana was not yet convinced of his loyalty.

"I will do whatever it takes to bring us to the golden age," Merlin said firmly.

Morgana smiled lightly.

"Good. Then I want you to meet someone. He is a child that reminds me of you a little. His name is Menw, a druid boy."

"Reminds you of me? In what way?"

"He's lost and needs guidance, as you did when you arrived in Camelot. His family perished a few years ago and he has no one to learn from. He is powerful, I feel, and will need someone to help him understand how to use it. You seem to have some interesting powers and have been able to make some tough decisions. I thought he may connect with you well and understand that tough decisions need to be made. Help him and guide him. He's near the eastern side of the river collecting fish, if he has listened to me that is."

Merlin nodded and stood up, feeling almost obliged to leave. "I'll do my best."

Merlin looked over towards the river, and as Morgana said, a scrawny little boy was pulling a net out of the water with fish flapping all over the place. The boy hesitatingly picked at the net sadly and dumped the fish in a box tiringly and placed his hands on his hips. Merlin walked closer, observing the boy continue this effort a number of times. It was actually quite remarkable how many fish the boy caught for even with the most populated rivers, fish had scattered away from any break in the river water, making the capture difficult. As Merlin came very close, he noticed a whistle coming from Menw's mouth, and sudden rippling in the water where he laid the net.

"OH!" Menw said turning at Merlin, dropping the net in the water, causing all the fish the flurry away.

"I- I'm sorry, please, carry on. I did not mean to scare you."

Frozen, Menw looked at Merlin in immense fear.

"What can I do for you sire?" Menw said lowering his head. His face was full of red sores, his Adams apple stuck out from his scrawny long neck, and his eyes were big and black. "I hope I am not in any sort of trouble"

Merlin was stunned by this intimidated reaction.

"Wh- of course not. Morgana asked me to meet you. She thought you could use some help. I am not here to... reprimand you."

Menw's nerves seemed to have calmed down, but his guard was still up.

"I- I'm catching fish." Menw pointed to the large wooden box. "It's for the village. Every week I am to catch fish for the week."

Merlin took a few steps forward and observed the river.

"You'd think the fish would learn not to come here as much."

Menw chuckled. "That's because they cannot help it. Take a look."

Menw whistled ever so slightly, causing Merlin's nerves to drain while listening to the enchanting tune, reminding him of a lush forest filled with greens and rabbits, the kind Arthur used to hunt. It took him a moment to shake himself off the hypnotic tune only to realize about 100 fish came close to the point where Menw stood. Menw pulled up the net, catching around 30 fish in one swipe.

"How- how did you do that?" Merlin asked puzzled. It was not like any magic he's ever seen.

"I can speak to animals and ask them to do as I want" Menw shrugged. "Well, at least most of the time"

"Any animal?" Merlin asked curiously.

"Yes, but although I have the power to, I don't like using it. It makes me tired and sometimes takes me days to recover. I've also been told if I talk to a certain animal too much, I will become one. That's why I have to get fish every week instead of everyday. I swear, I feel like I'm a better swimmer though." Menw said, attempting humor and looking down when Merlin did not laugh alongside.

Merlin tried to chuckle, but was trying to internalize this power Menw had. Now he understood why Morgana wanted Menw to use his powers more. Menw could guarantee success in every battle if he could control all animals.

"Where did you learn your powers?" Merlin asked instead.

"I was born with it, much like everyone here. I was about 5 years old when I realized I could talk to animals. Bird would come and tell me how many worms they ate. People thought I was crazy, because it wasn't magic they heard of. Later my family began being treated like outsiders and was out casted by their friends. Their friends believed my form of magic was wrong and evil. They even thought I was Emrys for some months."

Merlin's heart beat hard. "Emrys? Well, why wouldn't they uh, rejoice?"

Menw laughed. "Emrys? Who would want to be thought of Emrys? He's a cowardly leader who's in hiding, making the rest of us struggle. I mean, where is he anyway?"

"Well, I thought he was meant to be, you know, the 'savior'.

Menw looked at Merlin seriously. "Oh sorry, you are one of them, aren't you?"

"Them?"

Menw sighed as he placed a cover on the box full of fish.

"Just some advice for you. The people here, especially Morgana, do not tolerate Emrites. That's what we call you people. Emrites are those that believe Emrys will help us one day. I don't judge you of course; I know full well what being out casted is like and never want you to feel the same. But its best you give up on 'Emrys'. He's never going to come. "

"But the prophecy says that Emrys will come."

Menw looked up at Merlin almost chuckling.

"There are a lot of prophecies out there. Confusing ones. There are people who think Emrys is a backstabber to those of us with magic. We look to Morgana of course. And then there are those who think that Emrys will help us at whatever the cost, those are the Emrites. Then, there are the insane people who think Emrys will actually sit there and help Uther and Arthur, making us magical ones bow to 'them'. Point is, if you really are an Emrite, you should be careful not to tell anyone. Otherwise your credibility will be lost. "

Merlin's mind was spinning. It somehow sounded very familiar; Alvarr and Morgause once explained this to him. Merlin certainly felt his credibility lost as Menw's guard was dropped quicker than a pin falling on the ground.

"So, if Emrys came, what would you do?"

"He's not going to come. Better leave it as that."

Merlin did not want to push any further, and returned back to the original point.

"Well, how did they figure you were not Emrys."

"They finally believed I wasn't him when that one dragon that escaped Camelot came and tried to stay on the druids lands. While I can control animals, the one creature I cannot control is the dragon. Only the dragon lord can, and the belief is that Emrys is the only dragon lord out there. He eventually flew out after seeing one person, the Seeker."

"Who is the seeker?"

"She sits over on the eastern side in her own cave on the druids lands. She was around during the great purge and is very powerful. We all don't know how she did it, but we are glad she is on our side. I don't really talk to her much. Anyway," Menw said casting a freezing spell on the basket of fish. "I need to drop all this fish to Keller, our cook. If there is nothing else you need from me, I should go before the fish get warm."

"Well, I can help you." Merlin offered, extending his hands.

"No need," Menw smiled as he cast a spell to lift the basket and keep it afloat as he walked off.

Merlin watched Menw walk off. The peoples attitudes about Emrys seemed more complicated that he ever imagined. And his attitude wasn't going to cut it. Menw's reaction if intimidation turning into such a lack of regard towards Merlin in a matter of minutes showed him he had a lot of work to do. And Menw's powers. No wonder Morgana was very interested. _Could he really help Menw? And more importantly, should he help?_


	12. The Tunnel

**Thanks for the reviews and interests in my stories! I've got this whole story outlined... so look out for some interesting twists and turns!**

* * *

><p>Gaius placed his hand on Gawaine's forehead to gauge his fever. He was no longer warm after a day's rest. Secretly, Gaius understood why would feel better, but for the sake of avoiding explanation to Uther, Gaius kept Gawaine in bed. Gaius knew Gawaine would recover so quickly because of the Immordium tonic used on Gawaine, a spell that mimics death. Not a useful potion for someone who really wanted a person dead. It was too peculiar, but hope lit inside Gaius.<p>

*knock knock*

Gaius turned to the door. "Come in."

Arthur entered the room anxiously and looked at Gawaine's condition. Gaius turned to Gawaine trying to gauge objectively how Gawaine looked. Gawaine's color returned to his cheeks and if anything, he looked knocked out.

"How is he?" Arthur asked quietly.

"He's doing better. I gave him some strong herbs to help hasten his recovery and will allow him to be up and ready by tomorrow morning."

Arthur nodded.

"There is a lot of information I need now. Is he in any condition to answer?"

Gaius nodded and shook Gawaine up. It didn't look like Gawaine was in critical condition when he yawned sheepishly before he stood up in his bed and smacked his lip , he looked very refreshed. Arthur observed him carefully and looked back at Gaius, who looked a little nervous.

"Gawaine…you look well."

"I've never felt better," Gawaine said carefully rubbing his right shoulder. "Whatever you gave me Gaius was amazing. I feel loads better." Gawaine then looked up at Arthur. "Any news on Morgana and how we going to stop her?"

Arthur smiled lightly at the word 'we'.

"I take it you're willing to fight for Camelot again," Arthur said nodding. "We're bordering the lands and are trying to find the tunnel entrance. The problem is a large boulder is covering what seems to be the tunnel entrance. The other knights are still working on it. I need you, however, to verify we are looking at the right scene. Hopefully we can figure out a way to prevent her from ever entering Camelot through the tunnel"

"I will do my best," Gawaine said thinking hard, getting out of bed and putting on a tunic. "But how could you prevent Morgana from entering Camelot through the tunnel? She has magic."

The two walked out the door and into the hallway, Gawaine waiting for an answer.

"I have an idea on how to block her entrance to Camelot, but need a look at the tunnel itself."

"We could attack her without her knowing as well."

"Not yet; we cannot attack her when we don't have anything to attack her with. We are not lucky anymore."

Arthur wondered if Gawaine understood his reference to Merlin. Arthur hated the idea that the only reason he ever won anything was because of Merlin. Arthur and Gawaine hopped on the horse and headed to the boulder.

* * *

><p><em>Walking through the damp tunnel, a thorn caught in Morgana's black gown. She tugged at it and saw the thorn turn into Camelotian swords, growing towards her direction rapidly, the tips twinkling in blood. She ran back towards the lighted exit, but the pointed swords kept growing in the dark damp tunnel. A lean shadow from the tunnel exist blocked the exit to her surprise as the Camelotian swords inched closer and closer to her face, not stopping.<em>

Morgana shot up from her sleep with beads of sweat on her face, her heart racing hard and her fingers trembling. She looked around in her cave and peered out of the mouth of the cave where saw the night eerily quiet and her followers sleeping in their tents under the moonlit sky. She got out of her stone bed, put on her robe as she walked out into the chilly night and whispered a spell to produce a ball of fire in her hand. Her heart beat hard as she walked down a slanted hill to where the river passed. She slipped a little, falling down the steep hill a few seconds and then got up marching over to the cliff. Morgana's mouth opened in fear as she approached the other side and closed her eyes in relief when she saw the tunnel entrance completely blocked by a glowing boulder.

"What are you doing?"

Morgana turned immediately to the voice and found Mordred standing there.

"What are you doing up?" Morgana asked Mordred, alarmed by his presence. It was strange, but for some reason, Mordred had this eerie quality about him.

"I saw you leaving in the middle of the night and followed you."

"You should not have come Mordred. Go back."

"Why are you at the tunnel entrance?"

"I wanted to make sure the spells were still active," Morgana said beginning to head back annoyed. "We must make sure if Arthur ever finds the other side of the tunnel in Camelot, he will not be able to use it to attack us."

* * *

><p>Morning seemed duller than usual. The clouds were out diffusing the energetic attitude Morgana usually had. At least the followers believed it was the clouds causing it. The truth was, Morgana could not stop thinking about her dream. Usually her dreams symbolize what is yet to come, and if what her dream showed was any hint of the truth, she was in trouble. <em>What were Camelot's swords doing, pushing her into a corner. And whose shadow was on her side, allowing her to die.<em>

Her mind couldn't stop worrying about the tunnel entrance in Camelot. _Would Arthur know about it?_

"Morgana, you have called me?" Menw said, after walking up to Morgana.

"Menw, good you are here." Morgana said with a tepid smile. "I have a task for you. It's a … strange task. But I thought you were a good fit for it."

"I can do whatever you'd like me to do! What is it!?"

"I want you to go to Camelot."

Menw's jaws dropped subtle. "C-Camelot? Are you… are you serious?"

"I am. I need you to go there and look for this scene.." Morgana said casting an image of the tunnels entrance in Camelot blocked by a boulder and surrounded by yellow flowers. "I want you to tell me if it looks the same."

"I- I would be happy to, but Morgana, do you not think I will be caught by the knights?"

"You are a boy, and that of an innocent face, no one will suspect you to be upto anything."

Menw looked slightly distressed.

"Will you at least tell me why this is important?"

"Making sure it has not been detected by Arthur is our best chance of defeating Camelot."

Menw nodded his head. "Ok, I will go then."

"Please come to me immediately when you arrive back here. I will be waiting anxiously."

* * *

><p>"Arthur! Here! We have wonderful news!" Sir Leon called eagerly waving down Arthur and Gawaine on their horses. Arthur immediately removed himself off the horse and ran over to check out the scene. Gawaine also followed. Sir Leon beamed at the scene, showing the boulder shifted a few inches, revealing the tunnel entrance as a large muscular man continued to push the boulder.<p>

"This is it…" Gawaine said in awe. "This is what I saw in the image Morgana casted."

"No kidding." Arthur said. "This is great Sir Leon. How did you find him?" Arthur asked referring to the muscular man.

"It was Sir Patrick's call. Brandt here is known to be the strongest in Camelot and has won many strength competitions in all the taverns."

Brandt continued to push the boulder with all his might as Arthur mind began to race.

"What should we do when the boulder is moved?" Sir Leon asked.

Arthur sighed. "I'll soon explain." Arthur said nervously. He didn't want to share his idea, but he would need to in order to ensure its execution.

Gawaine listened on as well, but heard a few branches crushing nearby. Arthur was too busy watching the progress of the boulder to notice. Curious, Gawaine stepped away and walked around casually, just to make sure everything was fine. When he concluded there was nothing to worry about, he headed back to Arthur. It was then when he saw a lean boy behind a tree looking nervous peering over at Arthur and the tunnel. It was Menw.

"HALT!" Gawaine said pulling out his sword. Menw completely oblivious, turned to Gawaine and reacted in shock. The boy said nothing for a while, just observed Gawaine very closely as Gawaine walked towards him. "What is your business here in the woods? Camelotians were asked to stay out of the woods."

"I- I, was looking for my goat." Menw said at once, remembering the lines he rehearsed in his head for instances like this. "My mother will be extremely angry if she knew it ran away."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Gawaine said distracted by Menw's confused look.

"I- I'm," Menw began. "You're alive?!" he spat at once.

"Excuse me boy? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I though you …. You were.."

"Dead? Great, everyone's heard about my incident." Gawaine said putting his guard down. "I'm not that weak, it takes a lot to take me down."

Menw stared at Gawaine.

"That's… good news" Menw said in his most convincing voice.

"Anyway, as I said before, you are not supposed to be here in the woods. I'm afraid you'll have to face he fury of your mother.."

Menw nodded desperately. "I'm sorry."

Gawaine smiled and hit Menw's shoulder. "Go on now, and start telling people I'm not dead!"

Menw nodded and ran off.

Gawaine shook his head smiling and headed back to Arthur.

* * *

><p>Menw arrived at Morgana's land. He looked to the mouth of the cave were Morgana was waiting for his message and decided to take another trail. He scowered the lands in search for Merlin, and spotted him picking up some branches. One more look to Morgana's cave, he snuck away towards Merlin.<p>

Approaching closer, Menw stood, tired, sweating and stunned.

"That man," Menw began. Merlin turned and stood up facing Menw. "That man you killed the other day."

"Y-yes?"

"You killed him, did you not?" Menw asked, fearful of not believing Merlin.

Merlin stared at Menw carefully.

"Of course I did," Merlin said.

"How sure are you?" Menw asked quickly.

"I- I'm very sure," Merlin said shortly. "Why, why are you asking?"

It was Merlins slight stumble in his tone that caused Menw to lower his tone.

"Did you give him a burial?" Menw asked suspiciously.

Merlin looked alarmed.

"No, I did not."

"Why not? Wouldn't that guarantee his death?"

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"I asked, why did you not?"

"I would not give the one I killed a burial." Merlin responded annoyed and frustrated.

Menw stood quiet and looked angry.

"Menw!" Morgana said coming to him. "Have you just arrived? I am waiting for your news!"

Menw looked to Morgana. "I am sorry Morgana. I needed to ask Merlin something."

"That can wait! Menw, what did you discover in Camelot?"

"It's not good news. Arthur found the tunnel entrance."

Menw glanced at Merlin carefully.

"What?!" Morgana screamed. "How can this be!? There is no way he could ever know! What could have caused this?"

Menw was angered but calm.

He glanced at Merlin quietly and darkly. Merlin looked back at him, slightly confused and fearful.

"I do not know."


End file.
